Abstract
The role of functional literacy, linked to employment, leads to a narrow view of rural learners' need both economically and socially. The drive for individuals to take responsibility for their own learning and development is, indeed, a good thing. However, the burden of guilt felt by those who are unable, or unwilling, to achieve the standards set out in the Skills for Life (DfEE, 2001) strategy, is significant. This deficit model of applied functionality is likely to result in a fracturing of traditional social networks upon which much of rural life is constructed, leading to social fragility. The changing character of the English countryside with its rising population drawn from urban and international migration is striking and certainly challenges the caricature of a white, male, middle-class countryside. With these changes comes a demand for an alternative curriculum which reflects the large number of older learners and the language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) needs of both an established labour market and a new international workforce.
Highlights
This article is informed by a series of research projects carried out by members of the UNESCO Centre for Comparative Education Research at the University of Nottingham (Atkin, 2009; O’Grady and Atkin, 2009; Atkin and O’Grady, 2006a; Atkin and O’Grady 2006b, 2006; O’Grady and Atkin, 2006; Morgan and Atkin, 2006; Atkin, Rose and Shier, 2005; Atkin and Merchant, 2004)
The precise focus for much of the research has been the impact of the Skills for Life strategy (DfEE, 2001) to raise standards of adult literacy and numeracy by policy makers
A key question for rural policy makers is whether this link with employment, which is often framed around an urban model of employment type and format, is appropriate within a rural context
Summary
This article is informed by a series of research projects carried out by members of the UNESCO Centre for Comparative Education Research at the University of Nottingham (Atkin, 2009; O’Grady and Atkin, 2009; Atkin and O’Grady, 2006a; Atkin and O’Grady 2006b, 2006; O’Grady and Atkin, 2006; Morgan and Atkin, 2006; Atkin, Rose and Shier, 2005; Atkin and Merchant, 2004). A key question for rural policy makers is whether this link with employment, which is often framed around an urban model of employment type and format, is appropriate within a rural context Functional literacy in this context is inevitably linked to a deficit model which sets out to assess an individual’s lack of ability rather than their existing literacy skills (Barton, 1994). Individuals make choices from the ‘representational resources’ available amongst these various modes and a multi-model perspective enables us to identify the traces of these decisions – of the interests of the parties to text.’ These alternative understandings of literacy all have merit in helping us to understand forms of literacy and identity in rural areas, in their acceptance that ethnographic – whole culture – approaches are often the most helpful for policy makers and practitioners in providing contextually relevant curricula offers. Do every day practices support, or impede, what is learned in structured programmes e.g. what is the relationship between everyday life and the formal curriculum?
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